Who is responsible for obtaining payment from the cardholder for any deficiency between the purchase price and the amount authorized for Dq Treat?

According to Dq Treat's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the responsibility for obtaining payment from the cardholder for any deficiency between the purchase price and the amount authorized falls on the Operated Locations, Participating Franchisee, or Sub-Franchisee. This means that if a customer uses a card for a purchase at a Dq Treat location, and the authorized amount on the card does not fully cover the purchase price, it is the franchisee's responsibility to collect the remaining balance from the cardholder. The FDD also defines a "Cardholder" as any person possessing or using a Card or Card number.

This stipulation places a direct collection responsibility on the Dq Treat franchisee. They must ensure that their point-of-sale systems and staff are equipped to handle situations where a card does not cover the full transaction amount. This could involve training staff to clearly communicate the deficiency to the customer and to facilitate an additional payment method to cover the outstanding balance.

Furthermore, GIFT (the information repository software) is not responsible for determining whether transactions are fraudulent, improper, or otherwise unauthorized. This reinforces the franchisee's role in ensuring the validity and completeness of each transaction. The franchisee bears the risk of non-payment for any deficiency, highlighting the importance of diligent transaction handling and customer communication.

This arrangement is fairly typical in franchise systems where franchisees directly interact with customers and manage day-to-day transactions. It underscores the importance of franchisees having robust procedures for payment processing and customer service to minimize potential losses from underfunded card transactions.